Located just outside of downtown Honolulu, Honpa Hongwanji Mission sits right off of Pali Highway on the island of Hawai’i. The mission opened in Hawai’i on October 4, 1907 and they serve as the main entity representing their denomination, Jodo Shinshu, throughout the islands of Hawai’i, Maui, Lanai, Oahu, and Kauai. The Jodo Shinshu denomination is a sect of Mahayana Buddhism that was founded by Shinran Shonin during the Kamakura Period in Japan, and it was so prolific that it has been able to stay in practice to this day.
Shinran Shonin (1173-1263) taught a type of Buddhism that was known as Pure Land Shin that was passed on to him by his master Honen Shonin. The main goals of this denomination were to completely entrust ones self to the Primal Vow, abandon the need to rely on self power, and exemplify the need to live on the power of the Primal Vow. This Primal Vow is part of a series of forty eight vows that the Amida Buddha made in the Infinite Life Sutra and simply refers to the desire to attain buddhahood and then help others achieve the same thing. There is also emphasis placed on Shinjin, or faith, as being the source of entrusting in the Primal Vow and the power of the Amida Buddha. The central question this sect pondered was, “How can I be carried by the power of the Primal Vow?”. To follow this way of life, there were a specific set of writings that are integral to this sect. The scriptures they studied are known as the Three Pure Land Sutras, which were delivered by Shakyamuni Buddha: The Sutra of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, The Sutra of Contemplation of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, and The Sutra on Amida Buddha. In addition to these sutras, Shinran Shonin also wrote many important texts that are studied by his followers today, which are the Hymns of True Entrusting Heart and the Nembutsu, Hymns of the Pure Land, Hymns of the Pure Land Masters, and Hymns of the Dharma Ages.
Followers of this path were encouraged to entrust their heart and awakening to the Amida Buddha through the Primal Vow. To do this, they should live the days of their life reciting the Amida’s name, in a practice that is also known as Nembutsu. If they have done these proper venerations then at the end of their life they will take a rebirth in the Pure Land and attain Buddhahood. After this Buddhahood is obtained, the individual will be born again into this world to guide people to awakening, and in this way they would be fulfilling their Primal Vow. These basic principles guide those who lead this life and have translated well into the lives of members of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission.
In today’s time, followers lead a way of life very similar to that preached by Shinran Shonin. They recite the Nembutsu, live in a state of reflection, and make sure to express gratitude without depending on petitionary prayer and superstition. Through their practice, they seek to share with other people the wisdom and compassion of Amida Buddha so everyone can work to the realization of a greater society where all people can live a life with spiritual fulfillment. All of these beliefs are put to practice and exemplified by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission and can be heard in their mission statement, ” The mission of Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai’i is to share the living teachings of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism so that all beings may enjoy lives of harmony, peace, and gratitude.” This institution clearly lives their beliefs, and even more so their desire to incorporate their practices with others both spiritually and secularly.
Aside from the religious practices that the Mission follows, they also are very active socially through their interactions with other temples and secular institutions. They are part of the Buddhist Churches of the Americas in regards to their denomination, and they serve people from Hawai’i, to the United States, and to South America. They even have another branch known as the Buddhist Churches of Canada that serves all the areas of that country. Beyond these two large branches, there are also temples located in many other parts of the world, including: Europe, Australia, Mexico, Taiwan, and Kenya. The Mission also maintains a close relationship to their mother mission, called Ryukoku-zan Hongwanji Temple, that is located in Kyoto, Japan. While the Honpa Hongwanji Mission has many ties to other religious institutions, they also have relationships with other organizations that are available to a wider variety of people.
The Mission acts as a sponsor for many educational institutions, that include Hongwanji Mission School, Pacific Buddhist Academy, and Fort Gakuen Japanese School. While the names of these institutions sound exclusive to those of either Buddhist or Japanese affiliation, these places all say that they are open to all individuals regardless of their race, color, creed, and religious orientations. It is fair to assume that since these organizations are so open to people of all different backgrounds, both racially and religiously, that the Mission itself must follow this principle or risk seeming incongruent with the policies of the places they sponsor. Other than these schools, the Honpa Hongwanji Mission supports a variety of community and cultural programs.
Various other groups the Mission provides support to are the Buddhist Womens Association, the Buddhist Study Center, the Jr. Young Buddhist Association, and Project Dana. Of particular interest are the Buddhist Womens Association and Project Dana. The Buddhist Womens Association offers student exchange programs with Japan, Buddhist education, and various other services. What is especially interesting about this group is that they want to demonstrate how modern day women can help to sustain and spread the Jodo Shinshu sect. This is very impressive because this shows how progressive trends in regards to gender equality between women and men have translated into Buddhism. Project Dana, on the other hand, is a program that seeks to give services to the elderly through activities such as housekeeping, transportation, and caregiving, to name a few. This group is supported by trained volunteers who work under the principles of faith in action and Dana. Dana is the combination of selfless giving and compassion without expecting anything in return. This program shows how the Jodo Shinshu practices can apply not only to followers of the faith, but to those who are in need regardless of their affiliations. Based on the variety of spiritual and secular institutions the Honpa Hongwanji Mission is connected with, it is feasible to say that the multifaceted nature of this temple is what allows it to continue to propagate in Hawai’i.
While the Mission has ties to a variety of organizations, possibly the most important part of its job is what it provides to its members in Hawai’i. Their main goal is to facilitate the spiritual and secular needs of their followers and surrounding communities. To achieve this, they have a variety of services and amenities that include: resources, direction, support, religious services, educational and cultural programs, and outreach services. However, two interesting services they provide are their music site and bookstore. Both of these features can be accessed online and so are open to the world through the internet, which allows them to further disseminate their message. The music site features newly composed gathas, or musical numbers, that are accessible by temples who want to incorporate their practice in with their music to gain another level of enrichment, or for individuals who want just want to see an example of Buddhist music. The bookstore is an online site that sells a variety of goods from pendants, incense, Buddhist texts, and even headquarters resources. Clearly there are a wide range of services the Honpa Hongwanji Mission provides and they all serve to make it accessible not only to its members, but also people from the world audience.
This temple is regarded as being the Buddhist Church of the Americas for the Jodo Shinshu denomination, and the reasons why are very apparent. The Mission makes sure to keep up social activity with its sister and mother temples, and they branch outside themselves to serve the community they are a part of without taking race or religious affiliation into question. They also ensure that their members are taken care of and they have tried to incorporate new and innovative ideas to keep the loyalty of the people who associate with them. All of these details come together to create a strong congregation and mission, which owes its success to it openness and progressive attitudes not only towards itself, but also when taking outsiders into consideration.